Together, Forever
by Flames101
Summary: Rossi has a declaration to make. This is an alternate ending to the Season 8 Finale. Warning, spoilers may be found inside. Warning: Character Death. Rossi/Erin (One-shot, written for the CCOAC forum death-fic challenge).


**A/N:** Hey all. This is a new one-shot featuring a Dave/Erin pairing, a first for me. I hope I've done them justice. This story was also written for the Death Fic challenge for the CCOAC forum. My assigned character to die was Alex Blake.

Also a note to those who have not watched the season finale and I guess to those who have, this is sort of an alternate ending to the season finale, but it could still contain some spoilers for it.

Anyways, hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Together, Forever**

* * *

Rossi poured two glasses of sparkling water, replacing the bottle in the fridge, before coming back around his kitchen island. He entered the living room and handed one of the glasses to his guest, Erin Strauss. Taking the glass from him, he wasn't too surprised by her appearance, not after all that happened tonight. He stared at his shell-shocked… friend? No, friend was too light of word for what they shared. Girlfriend seemed too childish… He wondered if soul-mate sounded cliché; did he even believe in the notion of soul-mates?

"David, are you even listening to me?"

He met her eyes, wanting to smile; no matter what, she always seemed a tad irritated with him. He wouldn't have her any other way, but sometimes he wondered why she had him.

Dave took a seat close to her, just wanting to be near her. He placed a hand on either side of her head before leaning forward and placing a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Oh," she gasped out happily.

He'd almost lost her tonight. For that hour or so after he'd come across her hotel room in ruins, he'd been terrified that the worst had happened. But God or some other force on this earth had seen fit to save her for him. The Replicator had gotten his hands on Erin, but they were able to get her to the hospital in time and save her. _Thank God,_ he silently praised.

Honestly, he had no idea what he would have done if he had lost her. He believed he finally found the one woman for him. It only took him some thirty odd years, but here she was before him. His soul-mate. His one true love.

He thoroughly realized he was becoming sappy and sentimental and that Erin was looking at him with growing concern by the second. However, after everything that happened to them, what had happened to Blake… he thought he was entitled to some mushy moments.

"It's all my fault," Erin declared sullenly.

He looked at her uncomprehendingly, too busy admiring her pretty eyes. Eyes he'd have forever to look at now, he'd make sure of that. "What is?"

She let out a sigh. "You _aren't_ listening to me," she confirmed. "Alex's death. It's my fault. I'm the reason why she died. Actually, you can blame all those deaths on me. It's all on me… what am I going to do, Dave… how can I move forward knowing this?"

_What? She honestly blamed herself for Blake's death, for all the murders?_ This was ridiculous. Nonetheless, as he looked into her eyes, the sorrow in their blue depths, he could see she was indeed looking for some vindication, or redemption at the very least. She was silently pleading with him to show her the path to forgiveness.

"Do you have a degree in biochemical engineering I don't know about?" he started slowly.

"What? No. Dave—" she started to protest.

He cut her off, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Were you secretly stalking the team all these months?" She shook her head, a vehement reply sure to follow. He headed her off. "No, Erin. This wasn't you. A sick man killed all those people. A sick, twisted man killed Alex. You, like them, are a victim. _Do not_ blame yourself."

His retort was angry. She, who saw each and every one of their case files, should have known better. Rarely, if at all, has the victim done anything to deserve an attack on them. She did not deserve the blame for any of this. Victims deserved comfort. _Erin_ deserved comfort.

But Erin was a stubborn woman. "But… but…" She pulled out of his grasp and stood up. "But, if I hadn't done… what I did all those years ago… maybe Curtis wouldn't have…"

"Wouldn't have, what? Gone homicidal?" Rossi asked incredulously. "Erin, by your logic, Alex should have gone psycho too."

"Dave!" she scoffed.

"What? You're saying your scheming ways all those years ago created a serial killer. If we follow that line of logic, than she has a few bodies in the closet of her own. Maybe we should check the other members of that team too… might solve a few unsolved cases in the process…"

"You're being ridiculous!" she exclaimed. He gave her a pointed look along with a smirk and she finally caved. "_Ok…_ _I'm_ being ridiculous. I am not responsible for his actions."

_Finally,_ he thought. He held his arms out to her and she came back to sit next to him. He engulfed her in his arms right away, pressing her to his chest. _God, I never want to let go._

"But, still…" she breathed out, pausing. It was a good minute before she continued. And when she did he felt the wetness of her tears seeping through his shirt. "Alex… oh God, she's dead… And her poor husband… he collapsed when Aaron and I told him…"

"I know, I know," he said softly. He hadn't known Blake long, but he had come to like her, to respect and appreciate her expertise.

He held onto Erin tight, allowing her her release. It had been a long night and she hadn't fully recovered from the drug's effects. Combine that with the alcohol the Replicator had forced on her and Rossi was surprised she'd been together till this moment.

But that was his Erin, stubborn to a fault, but so, so strong.

When her sobs seemed to subside and her breathing evened out, he whispered into the silence, just in case, "I love you, Erin…"

She stirred in his arms, but for a moment he truly believed she had fallen asleep. That was all right. He knew that she knew how he felt, regardless. So, it surprised him when a few more moments later she whispered back, "I love you, too… Don't leave me…"

The tremble of vulnerability in her voice made him suddenly feel fiercely protective. "Never, Erin… _never._ Together, forever, all right," he declared.

"Mmm…. Hmm…" she murmured.

He wasn't sure if she'd heard him. It didn't matter. The words would be true always. He would never leave her side. _Ever._

David Rossi had finally found his Mrs. Rossi number four, the last and only woman for him.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this. I thoroughly enjoyed writing Erin/Rossi, who knew that I actually liked this pairing… too bad about the writers killing her off. Oh well, there's always fanfic.

Anyways, let me know what you think. Thanks!


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